GDG-First Shot

[Alan D. Brunelle]

J. David Petruzzi wrote:
> Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:
>
>
> A couple years ago my article "Opening The Ball At Gettysburg: The Shot That
> Rang for 50 Years" was published in America's Civil War magazine.  It
> contains the most complete narrative of all known claimants to having fired
> the first shot.  Lt. Marcellus Ephraim Jones indeed fired the first shot at
> massed Confederates from the 8th Illinois Cavalry's advance vidette post
> along the Chambersburg Pike in the yard of the Ephraim Wisler home.  Jones
> later placed his marker memorializing that first shot in the yard of the
> home, then owned by Lt. James Mickley (who served initially in Capt. Robert
> Bell's Adams County Cavalry and then the 21st PA Cavalry).
>
> You can find an online version of the article here:
> http://www.historynet.com/magazines/american_civil_war/3430626.html
>
> Unfortunately, the online version of the article doesn't contain the sidebar
> piece to the printed version of the article I wrote, which was a story about
> Pvt. Thomas Benton Kelly of the 8th Illinois Cavalry.  Kelly, a cousin of
> Marcellus Jones, was one of the privates on the vidette post that morning,
> and witnessed Jones' first shot.  Kelly was interviewd by the Boston Globe
> in 1909, and in that sidebar piece I quote heavily from the Globe article, a
> great source of primary info on the cavalry's fight that morning.
>
> Best,
> J.D.
Hi J.D.

Hm, but in your article you also seem to possibly, almost, kinda, agree 
with Martin in his _Gettysburg July 1_ book, where he states[1]: "It 
should be noted that Jones' shot was not the first of the day, though it 
was often claimed to be so by a number of zealous sources." He then goes 
on to talk about how it was vedettes of the 17th PA against some of 
Ewell's folk - which you kind of echo by stating: "Private Freeman P. 
Whitney of Company B, 17th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Devin's brigade, also 
put in a first shot bid. ... /IF/ Whitney indeed fired a shot at any 
enemy forces so early on July 1, it too may have been at elements of 
White's Virginia Cavalry Battalion or at Early's stragglers." (emphasis 
added)

This would seem to me that it kind of implies that it is possible that 
the 17th PA did fire first on July 1. Then it becomes a question of 
semantics: would firing at scouts & such be considered when compared 
against firing at "real" troops... :-)

(Plus, Martin's book is footnoted, so it must be right. ;-) )

Regards,
Alan
[1] Gettysburg July 1; David G. Martin; Da Capo Press 1996; pg. 64.